Mainland Criticizes Tsai Ing-wen’s “ROC Equals Taiwan” Remarks

Mainland Criticizes Tsai Ing-wen’s “ROC Equals Taiwan” Remarks

                         Source: Taipei newspapers     October 13, 2011

DPP chairwoman and Presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen said on October 9, “The Republic of China (ROC) is Taiwan and Taiwan is the ROC. The ROC government now is no longer an alien government.” In response, the Mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Yang Yi criticized Tsai in a routine press conference yesterday in Beijing, saying that Tsai’s remarks were misleading as she was, in fact, using the ROC as a “cover” for her support for Taiwan independence.

Yang said that Tsai’s remarks were tantamount to a “backdoor listing” of Taiwan independence.        

During the press conference, Yang said, “Even if we use pertinent laws of Taiwan to judge Tsai’s argument concerning the ROC, it is still untenable. What the Mainland side has stressed is that cross-Strait relations are not based on a ‘state-to-state’ relationship, whether in the past, now, or in the future.”

When asked by the media about President Ma Ying-jeou’s Double Ten Day address, Yang said, “This year marks the centennial of the Xinhai Revolution. Commemorations are being held on both sides of the Strait, in Hong Kong, Macau and all over the world. Although they may all have different focuses, one thing in common is that they all want a renaissance of the Chinese nation.”     

Yang said, “The spirit of the Xinhai Revolution is a precious treasure jointly shared by compatriots on both sides of the Strait. The purpose of holding commemorations is to unite compatriots on both sides of the Strait and all Chinese people, and to pass down Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s ideals on revitalizing the Chinese nation.  

In a speech given at a conference at the Great Hall of the People to commemorate the centennial of the Xinhai Revolution on October 9, Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, said, “It is necessary for both sides of the Strait to end hostilities and heal the historical trauma.” When asked by the media whether Hu’s remarks indicated that the Mainland side wished to push for cross-Strait political talks, Yang said, “The Mainland’s ideas in pushing for cross-Strait relations have been precise and clear. Based on the principles of ‘easier issues before difficult ones ’and ‘economic issues before political ones,’ we push for cross-Strait relations in a gradual manner.”         

【Editor’s Note: According to the ROC Constitution, the ROC territories include the Mainland area and the Taiwan area. Therefore, it is without question that Taiwan belongs to the ROC. Tsai used to say that the “ROC is a government in exile.” Now, she has claimed that Taiwan is the ROC and vice versa, because, in reality, she supports  Taiwan independence.】

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